


1

by tayannscar



Category: Fairy Tail, My Love From Another Star, mlfas
Genre: F/M, fairytailfanfic, ftfanfics, mlfaspixie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-26 15:18:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6244864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tayannscar/pseuds/tayannscar





	1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [morganelisabeth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/morganelisabeth/gifts).



Natsu swiped his thumb upward over his smartphone’s screen as his lips curved around the lit cigarette his hand offered. He sucked in the temporary relief the cancer stick offered, while his eyes idly scrolled over his never ending feed. He paid little attention tothe selfies, or to those posting them, though he felt compelled to join the hype. 

  

This was a regular day in the life of Edolas Natsu; Japan’s top grossing male actor, and stunt man. He liked to say he “lived life on the edge,” an arrogant quote, yet all the more fitting for a young 23 year old man. 

  

With a tap of his thumb, he launched his camera app. The chilly, mid-afternoon sunshine lit up the brick wall behind him, giving him the perfect selfie lighting, alongside a rustic, vintage scene. Gold gleamed on the tips of his wild, salmon hair, while his tanned, olive skin tone looked flawless against the vivid background. With a smirk, a hard stare, and his cigarette between his lips, he captured the photo. 

  

He quickly loaded it to his Twitter while typing up a quick, witty caption. “Smoking kills, if I die, I’ve lost a very important part of my life.” 

  

He disregarded the message stating theconformationof his post, and locked his screen. He tucked his leg behind him, planting a tobacco Van against the wall. He buried his phone into his sweatshirt pocket, pulling his cigarette from his lips as he exhaled a cloudy puff. 

  

If he was honest with himself, he hated the act of smoking. He didn’t even like the taste of nicotine. It was the smoky edge that came after which he craved, for in the dark depths of his soul, he wished that fiery destruction that sealed his family’s death would have claimed his own. 

  

The actor’s memory wasn’t the best, if anything, he barely remembered events from the day before. But, he could remember July 7th like it was yesterday. 

  

Seven years ago, Tokyo whispered words of a serial killer. He was an unknown figure who loved to play with fate, his obsession deadly; resulting in the loss of many lives. 

  

It was the beginning of a sadistic game, for with each kill, he left a mark ensuring he was the murderer. He would first slit the victim's neck, leaving them to bleed out; a painful death. Then he would engrave清姫into the flesh of their wrist.清姫, or Kiyohime: an ancient dragon of Japan History. Kiyohime’s story symbolized vengeful power and demonstrated the consequences of giving into desire. The story of the young woman was meant to teach a lesson to the people of Japan, yet the killer had dirtied the name with his heartless acts, earning him the nickname of the Kiyohime Killer. 

  

His crimes were torturous and vile. He attacked at will, each victim sharing no relation to the other, instilling fear in all throughout Japan. His sick game kept him unpredicted, with no leads to trace him. 

  

After the death of an older woman in October, the killer was quiet, keeping himself out of the public’s eye. The search for him was still up, but with the large gap in his silence, Japan’s people found themselves coming out of their hiding, rekindling the joys of life once more. Though, his silence was short lived, after less than a year he made his reappearance. 

  

 _July 7th_. 

  

Natsu brought his lips back to the cigarette, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the cool brick behind him; the past dancing against his closed lids. 

  

It happened the day of auditions. Natsu was sixteen and running a tight schedule. He was staring in _too_ many commercials for his father’s liking. His dad had often mentioned taking a small bit of time off and starring in something local for a change. His father, Igneel, wasn’t the only one pressuring him to take it easy, his brother too often requested he slow down. The young actor viewed the play a bit mediocre for his taste, _Beauty and The Beast_ , but nevertheless, he gave in to his family’s wishes. 

  

When his valet dropped him off at the end of his driveway that evening, nothing would have prepared him for what he was about to walk into. 

  

 _“I’m home!” A young, sixteen year old Natsu announced upon his arrival, slamming the door behind himself as he wandered towards the living room._  

  

 _“Ey, old man, the least you could do is ask me how auditions went! Though, you know I nailed it!” He scoffed with a devilish grin as he pranced through the living room and into the kitchen of his quaint home._  

  

Looking back now, finding his home completely silent should have been the first sign that something had been terribly wrong. Yet, as a young teen, he disregarded such thoughts, instead he walked head first into a horror movie. Upon his entrance to the kitchen he found his father. He was lying on his chest, his fiery red, spiked locks were the only thing he saw at first. He noted how his father’s hands were lying on either side of his body, drawing his attention to the pool of blood surrounding him. His heart plummeted to his stomach. 

  

 _“Dad!” He yelled, his body beginning to tremble. “Zeref! Dad is hurt!” He screamed out, falling to his knees beside his father, his hands lying atop his father’s cold back._  

  

While he had called out for his brother, he neglected the fact that Zeref was nowhere to be seen. He instead shifted his father, laying him onto his back. Blood stained the right side of his face, and had crusted in the scruff on his chin. His eyes searched for the source of the pool. His frantic pupils searched him, finding a large slit in his father’s neck. The brutality of such a death pointed back to the Kiyohime Killer. 

  

Natsu’s body shook with sobs, his fingers digging into his father’s shirt as he clung to him, dropping his head to Igneel’s lifeless chest. He didn’t remember what his exact thoughts were,thoughthe sinking feeling in his heart, mingling with the mass sadness that ached inside was a pain he would never forget. He felt deserted and helpless. 

  

 _“Dad,” he sobbed between trembles._  

  

He needed someone to hold him, he needed his older brother, Zeref. At the thought he noticed his brother was still absent. His heart stopped in his chest as he pushed himself up. 

  

 _“Zeref!” He whimpered, walking out of his kitchen and towards his brother’s room. “Zer!”_  

  

His trembling hands were cradled at his chest as he slowly wandered down the hallway. As he approached Zeref’s room, he sucked in a breath, there, standing in the middle of the room stood a hooded figure. He was shrouded in the shadows of the room; his back was to Natsu. The figure was slightly vibrating with movement, though Natsu couldn’t keep his eyes on him long enough to see what he was doing. Instead he looked to the lump on his brother’s bed, finding Zeref sprawled out. His mouth was slightly agape, he too, sharing the same large gash in his neck as his father. Blood drained from the wound, pouring out from his skin like abrooktrickling over rocks. 

  

Natsu’s felt like he was trapped in a terrible dream, he was helpless, unable and too late to help his loved ones. Zeref’s body shook as he struggled to breath, gasping with everything he had left. 

  

 _Natsu lunged for him, tears running down his face, though Zeref reached out a hand, seizing the young boy. Despite his condition, his brother found the strength to move._  

  

 _“R-u-n.”_  

  

His voice made Natsu’s blood run cold, it sounded so hoarse and animalistic, so strained. Tears poured from his eyes as he watched his brother’s eyes flutter and twitch. Zeref’s index finger pointed towards his door, directing Natsu in the way. His brother’s head fell limp; the muscles in his eyes giving out. 

  

The young boy’s body was trembling with fear. He was frozen, despite his brother’s warning. 

  

The hooded figure shifted, turning himself towards the quivering boy. 

  

The dim lighting around them kept Kiyohime’s identity hidden, though he could faintly make out his lips. He doubted he would have recognized the man regardless. While his memory grew fuzzy at the details of the killer, he knew he was broad. He towered over Natsu, andtilthis day, he didn’t know how he managed to escape something so gargantuan. 

  

With a gulp, he looked passed the man looking for what he had been doing earlier. He let out a mangled sob as he saw清姫engraved into the flesh of his brother’s left wrist. 

  

The pinkette remembered bolting for the door, his adrenaline kicking in, and his mind reeling.   

  

Heavy footsteps pounded behind him. As Natsu ran past an end table near his couch, he reached a hand out and knocked the lit lamp down, a heavy shatter and a grunt sounding behind him. Despite the fear coursing through his veins, hecravedflames. Adrenaline his fuel, he knocked every lit lamp down in his home, his own life at forfeit. For now, his sole being focused on ensuring the death of such a monster. 

  

 _He willed himself to look towards the murderer. Kiyohime stood in the hallway behind a small fire that had begun to ignite from the first lamp he had tossed. He held his hand to his chest._  

  

 _Natsu caught a faint shade of a red on the killer’s hand. He hoped it was blood of his own and not of his family’s. Rage fueled the once frightened boy. For his onyx eyes bored straight into the killers. He fingered a nearby picture frame and hurled it toward the overhead light in the middle of the family room. Electricity fizzled and screamed as small flames fell atop the couch and ignited the material. He could have sworn he caught Kiyohime smiling._  

  

“Ey, Natsu! How many of those do you smoke a day?! Let me guess, it’s all to add to that grunge look you try to pull off, huh?”   

  

Natsu retreated from his thoughts, burying them back into the dark depths of his memory, where they belonged. He shifted his head and looked at his bright,azurehaired assistant. He disregarded Happy’s jab, and continued to smoke, his eyes laid out on street just yards away. 

  

Happy Freyr had been his assistant since he had obtained his own manager, Acnologia Mokushiroku, at the age of seventeen. At first, Natsu despised the idea of having someone follow him around and make sure he was where he was supposed to be, when he was supposed to be. The actor claimed he wasn’t “a princess who needs to be waited on.” Steadfast, Happy kept on his toes, disregarding the pinkette’s persistent remarks and instead found his way beneath the dense wall the boy had put around himself. 

  

It wasn’t a secret that Natsu Dragneel had undergone a treturous past, one that he had yearned to leave behind. To his utter disbelief, Happy suggested a name change in an attempt to dodge his horrible past, as well as a new look. So, Natsu Dragneel changed to Edolas Natsu--a kid with a bad attitude and a knack for mischief; an actor who’s head was almost too big for his shoulders. 

  

The cool pre-winter breeze caressed his rosy cheeks and carried away another long drag of smoke from his lips. Happy sighed and shook his head as he pulled out his phone, keying at the device. Within mere seconds of glancing down, Happy made a muffled sound of alarm. With his mouth agape and eyes wide, he glanced at Natsu, who was scraping the bud of his cigarette on the wall behind them. 

  

“Natsu! _If you die you-- Natsu_!” He stammered, pointing at his phone, “you even included your _cigarette_ in the photo! Aye! You’re such a poor role model! What did Acnologia tell you about watching what you post online?! You’re supposed to get it approved first!” 

  

It was true, Natsu wasn’t the most inspiring actor. After the death of his family, it was almost as if he longed to mold himself into a hardass exterior. At 16 he got his first tattoo, a dragon--placed on his right forearm. The beast signified his father’s fascination of mythical creatures, dragons being his favorite. The tattoo even dived deeper, a reminder of the countless bedtime fairy tales his father used to share. 

  

Scripted in typewriter font on his left shoulder was “ _Zeref_ ,” signifying his brother’s love for fiction and writings. One of his favorite things to do with Zeref was listening to him read his written stories. While Natsu hated reading, listening to words was different. Through Zeref he traveled to different worlds, each crafted in the hollows of his brother’s imagination. 

  

Though, tattoos weren’t the end of his _rebellion_. At 17 he had his ears pierced, and at 18 the upper cartilage of his left ear. He wasn’t looking for attention, he merely wanted to create a name for himself, his _new_ self. 

  

Natsu acknowledged his assistant duly, “whaddaya talkin’ about?” 

  

“If you die from smoking you can’t lose _anything_!” He pointed out, waving his phone at Natsu. “You’d be _dead!_ ” 

  

With a shrug of his shoulders the actor pushed off the wall and ventured passed Happy. 

  

With an audible smack, Happy shook his head, his palm resting atop his forehead. “You’re ridiculous.” 

  

A loud burst of laughter erupted from a group of girls walking past them. The trio each held a phone, though the one in the middle tossed her head back. “Ohmygod, did you see E.N.D’s recent update on Twitter?” The young, skinny, dull looking brunette asked to her friends. 

  

He winced at the sound of the nickname thatspoutedfrom the girl’s mouth. His stage name was Edolas, yet some viewers knew of his abandoned surname, crafting “ _end_ ”-- Edolas Natsu Dragneel. 

  

The other two vibrated with laughter as the girl showed them her device. “His brain is complete mush!” One shouted. 

  

Natsu eyed the two girls, rage igniting a flare deep within his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but Happy pushed him past them. 

  

“Let’s get outta here before someone notices you,” he warned. 

  

Happy wrapped his arm around Natsu and escorted him to the van. Reluctant, Natsu climbed in, his hands folded across his chest. Happy took his place behind the wheel, his dark eyes finding Natsu in the rearview mirror, his usual, “buckle up,” pulling Natsu out of his quiet rage. 

  

“Yeah, yeah,” he groaned while securing his seat belt. He returned to his previous stance, his arms folded and his eyes narrow. 

  

The bluette glanced at him again in the rearview, “ah, don’t let what they said get to you.” He reassured, “though, you only have yourself to blame. Manager Acnologia has warned you countless times to keep your head out of _the--”_  

  

With a audible _bap_ to the head, Happy was knocked silent, a loud, “ _what was that for!_ ” shouted throughout the car. 

  

“Fuck ‘em, let ‘em say what they want.” Natsu announced. 

  

Happy nodded, “that’s the spirit. Keep your chin up, _well_ , while you can, Acnologia is gonna knock the living _\--_ _ouch_!” 

  

* * *

 

  

Lucy had grown accustomed to passerby celebrities; she lived in a very high ended part of Tokyo, it was to be expected. Although, Lucy hardly ever bothered watching the media,thereforshe didn’t know anyone by name, more or less by their appearance. So, when she began hearing whispers of a new celebrity in town, she paid very little attention to it. Instead, she was focused on getting through another day in the life of humanity. 

  

Lucy never thought of herself as a human, despite her deceiving appearance as one, she was an alien. No, she didn’t turn into some slug looking creature in the evening hours, nor did she crave world domination. Truthfully, the stories humans created about aliens baffled her. Why everything different from earthlings looked so atrocious? She feared she would never know the answer, even with four thousand years of Earth-living under her belt. 

  

 _Four thousand years._  

  

An eternity in what seemed like hell, all because of one mistake. A mistake that had caused her so much time, yet if given the choice, she would have acted with the same motives. The cost and forfeit of her life? A young sixteen year old boy--the typical helpless romance story. The twist? Lucy’s story wasn’t some made up fantasy. And the pain she had undergone wasn’t some temporary sadness she could have gotten over in a few days. It was a story she kept hidden within the confines of her own heartstrings. 

  

 _Lucy couldn’t help the smile that trailed her lips as she stepped foot_ _onto_ _the foreign terrain. It was as though life itself had gotten bolder, brighter. A million different senses hit her at once. Crisp pine mingled with the soft scent of flowers. A gentle breeze caressed the bare skin of her cheeks, brushing her long, golden curtain of hair off her shoulders, and against her back. The ground felt as if it shifted beneath the weight of her boots, holding her with a unfamiliar steadiness. Her gaze darted over the various shades and hues of colors. Each autumn leaf had its own uniqueness to it, bathing in a skin all their own. The wind tossed the blades of grass surrounding her into its own array of melodies, the tree limb’s rustling joining the chorus._  

  

 _Lucy’s perception of Earth was beautiful, she didn’t foresee any of the flaws her star dwellers had spoken of. She ventured farther out, taking it step by step, inhaling anything and everything she could grasp from her mission._  

  

 _Her gloved fingertips trailed along the rough texture of bark, and delicate surface of each leaf petal. She had never felt so at peace, and in touch with her surroundings. She closed her eyes and felt the life of the world around her, allowing her hyperactive senses to travel out, venturing from her reach._  

  

 _Delightful sounds filled her eardrums, though, she caught a harshness somewhere beneath it. Something peculiar. She focused her train of thought into the direction of the indifference, picking up sounds of alarm; trouble._  

  

 _“The prince! Where is the prince!?”_  

  

 _“Your majesty!? Where are you?!”_  

  

 _There were too many voices, all shouting at shrill octaves, causing her discomfort. She opened her eyes and willed herself to listen in, following the way. As her focus strengthened, so did her vision. And older couple held each other, their faces contorted in a mask of worry. Other onlookers shared similar expressions, their eyes darting about the area, frantically scurrying. She took her attention off the Earthlings and looked at the area, studying each detail carefully._  

  

 _With a step forward, she allowed herself to float through time like an angel through the sky. She wasn’t too keen on the feeling her body underwent when dissolving into the particles around her. Though, she put the discomfort behind and found herself standing mere feet behind the small, fretful crowd._  

  

 _She surveyed the scene in an attempt to uncover what exactly was wrong. From the looks of it, a prince had gone missing. Her curiosity threatened to get the best of her as she wondered about the missing prince. What did he look like? Where would he have gone?_  

  

 _All thoughts were placed aside when she picked up an abrupt shout. Her mind found its way through the unfamiliar forest and to the being who had shouted. Before her eyes stood a man dressed in black robes, cloth swaddling his mouth and nose, leaving only an angry set of eyes for her viewing. In his fist was a long machete of some sort. He shook the object vigorously; threateningly._  

  

 _Kneeling in front of the dangerous figure was a boy, he appeared to be young, a teenager she presumed. He was wrapped in white robes, his dark amber eyes wet with unshed tears. She couldn’t help noticing the odd shade of his hair; a vibrant, salmon pink. It was unlike any color she had ever seen._  

  

 _She looked back at the figure who swung the machete at the boy, who successfully ducked. She heard herself gasp in terror, and with little thought of what she was doing, she found herself standing beside the teenager._  

  

 _The boy was knocked to the ground as his attacker sent a kick to his torso. His wide eyes shot up, frozen on the sharp piece of metal that was about to meet his head. His hands dug into the fresh grass beneath him, his knuckles whitening. He looked away, his eyes squeezing shut on instinct, only to open when he noticed the stall of his death._  

  

 _Lucy’s hand encircled the attacker’s fist, squeezing his hand so hard, his own fingernails dug into his palm. The man yelped, dropping the machete. Lucy was quick, upon her arrival she hunched herself over the young prince protectively, using her body as his own shield._  

  

Her act was foolish, it was the first rule she had broken-- _Don’t share any contact with anyone outside of your own kind_. 

  

 _A gasp sounded behind her, though she wasn’t finished. With little force, she knocked the figure to his back. She instinctively reached behind her and gripped the boy’s hand, and to her surprise, he took hold of it willingly._  

  

 _She lifted herself and the prince up with ease, her mind picturing the beautiful spot she had been a mere matter of seconds ago._  

  

 _Leaves rustled in front of her, the attacker was pulling himself to his feet._  

  

 _The teen clung to her, his other hand wrapping around her forearm as if his life depended on her for survival. Taking a leap of faith, she flew the both of them to her previous location._  

  

 _She exhaled as the familiar gentle breeze touched her skin. Her grip on the boy loosened, dropping his hand. The boy plummeted to his knees, drawing her attention._  

  

 _Was he hurt? Was he upset? Was he even the prince?_  

  

 _She turned herself towards him. He remained motionless, his head facing the ground, and his fingers digging into the crisp green blades of grass._  

  

 _She brought herself to crouch beside him, her quizzical gaze tracing over his features. Pink lashes framed his large, wide eyes. His hair was wild and bushy, nothing like the hair she imagined a prince to wear. A light trail of freckles lined the bridge of his nose and the tops of his cheeks. Despite the weird look to him, she couldn’t deny he held her attraction._  

  

 _Looking at the boy beside her, she slowly came to the realization that this must be one of the horrors of Earth. Killing young children in hopes to gain from their status. Disgusting._  

  

 _Sensing her curious gaze, his awestruck eyes met her own doe brown ones._  

  

Rule number two-- _don’t reveal your attributes to a foreigner._ Broken. 

  

 _“M-my Lady, you saved me…” he breathed. His voice held a rugged edge to it, something she hadn’t expected by the looks of him._  

  

 _The pleasant name tinged the balls of her cheeks a slight pink, igniting a smile. She lifted a gloved hand to him. He looked it over carefully, reaching out and running his fingertips over the material._  

  

 _“Are you an angel?” He asked while cupping her hand within the both of his own._  

  

 _She lifted him up once more, yet his eyes were glued to her as if she was going to disappear before his eyes. Lucy remained soundless, deciding she should try not to break at least one rule--never socialize with beings of the unknown._  

  

 _He dropped his hand from her own, giving her a bow, “my apologizes, my name is Prince Etherious of the Fire Dragon clan. I want to thank you for saving my life, and for risking yours in order to do so. Even if you engage in witchcraft for the sake of your abilities, I want to assure you,” he cut off, lifting himself to look her dead in her eyes. “Your secret is forever safe with me. I give you my oath.”_  

  

“ _Happy!_ I can find my apartment myself, I don’t need you to chauffeur me.” 

  

Lucy was tugged from her dark memories with a jolt, as she looked over at the duo approaching the elevator she had been waiting on. One of them appeared to be a punk, by the look of him. His face was shrouded by the black hood of his sweatshirt, while his aviator glasses hid his eyes from view. The other, Happy she presumed, looked sullen, despite the vibrant color of his hair. 

  

“Are you kidding me? And have you end up lost somewhere with Acnologia on _my_ ass, no way!” The young, bluette man tossed. 

  

The two settled next to her just as the elevator dinged to let them on. Lucy stepped in, the sound of her boots cutting through their ridiculous arguing. Instead attracting their fixation on herself. She took her place in the contraption, which encouraging them to pop on. 

  

Happy darted in, while the nameless punk followed after him, digging his hands in his pockets. 

  

Fishing a olive skin toned hand out, he pressed the bright yellow _7_ button. To Lucy’s dismay, she too, was headed to the same floor. If she was lucky, the two would be housed far from her home, though the sinking feeling in her stomach told her otherwise. It was the apartment next to her own that had been open for rent recently. 

  

Silence honed in on all three of them, though while Lucy kept her gaze straight ahead, she couldn’t help but feel two pairs of eyes on her. 

  

The punk shifted slightly, his body turning to her. She acted as though she hadn’t noticed, though the scowl on her face probably gave her away. A quiet, awkward tune was hummed by Happy as he took a step back into the far left corner of the elevator, surly sensing whatever was about to happen. 

  

“Ey, how come you didn’t choose a floor?” The hooded man remarked, directing the question towards herself as he took a step closer to her. 

  

She duly acknowledged him, yet kept her silence as she looked back towards the closed doors of the elevator. Clearly the guy had a huge head to think she would ever be interested in the likes of him. 

  

He let out a forced chuckle, “ _damn._ Happy, those bastards told me I’d be safe from this shit.” He shot, motioning towards her. 

  

Lucy audibly sighed and shifted on her feet. She sensed a big headed remark coming on. 

  

“Uh, Natsu, I _don’t--_ ” Happy tried. 

  

 _Natsu_? What a peculiar name. She couldn’t say she had ever heard anything quite like it, though it was fitting for such a weirdo like himself. 

  

“So, who sent you? They paid you didn’t they? Swore you to secrecy, _huh_? How dare they send some hot girl after me to do _their_ bidding.” 

  

“ _Oh brother_ ,” the blue haired man sighed from somewhere behind her. 

  

A paranoid celebrity. And by far, one of the worst she had yet to see. 

  

As they reached floor seven she stormed out, the sound of heels pounding against the floor the only indication she had left. 

  

She heard Natsu call out to her, demanding she explain herself. 

  

“Unbelievable, she even knows where _my--_ ” 

  

He stopped short as he reached her, his eyes darting to the door she had stopped in front of. _775_. Lucy began to key in her four digit pin, yet stopped as she noticed he was watching her. 

  

“Y-you’re my neighbor?” The odd boy stuttered, shifting nervously upon his heels. 

  

“Unfortunately.” Lucy sighed irritably. “Now could you please look elsewhere? I don’t like strangers peering over my shoulder when I am entering my passcode.” 

  

The actor dropped his head and turned from her, rocking back and forth as he waited for her to finish. 

  

Once she was granted access she quickly slipped into her home, slamming the door behind her before he could get in another word. She didn’t have time for his lame excuses, or his apologies. 

  

She let out a loud sigh as she dropped her belongings to the floor. If today could get any worse, she swore she didn’t want to know. 

  

* * *

 

1:38 to 2:12. That's how long she had been up listening to Natsu's blubbering. From his obnoxious air guitar solos to verbal frustration regarding his fans comments towards himself. Lucy tried to ignore him; to block him out. She really had. But even for a foreign alien like herself, losing sleep was just as irritating as it was for humans. She was furious.   
   
"Stupid drunk asshole." She muttered to herself as she climbed from her bed and shoved her feet into her slippers.   
   
"You bastards! No one can out rule King Edolas Natsu! Japan’s sexiest actor!" He bellowed from within his own room.   
   
"We'll see about that." She hissed, grabbing ahold of her fleece robe. She pulled it around her tightly as she stormed down her hallway and towards her door. She yanked the handle with such a force, she had to remind herself she could dismantle the entire door if she wasn’t careful. 

  

With a sharp turn directly to her right, she was greeted with his room. She slammed a fist a top the door three times. 

  

“Who’s it? The door’s unlocked, ha, I lied!” He slurred, to which she rolled her eyes. He was completely wasted. 

  

“Oh, it’s my neighbor, ey!” 

  

She assumed he was looking at her through his indoor security system. 

  

Living in such a high end apartment complex gave them special amenities, such as a large screen built inside the wall near the door, granting them to see who was on the other side of their doors. They also had an intercom so one could shoo unwanted visitors if persistent. 

  

“Are you here for the pajama party?” He slurred through the speaker, the cocky tone in his voice annoying her even more. 

  

“Do you know what time it is?” Lucy barked, cutting straight to the point. She leaned close to the speaker, her hands crossed over her chest. 

  

“Whadaya mean? Oh! You dig my singing, huh?” He questioned, a hiccup escaping his lips. 

  

She shook her head and rolled her eyes at his attempt to flirt. 

  

The singing was by far the worst part of his drunken spell. “Those bastards lied to me about soundproof walls,” he chuckled. 

  

“If you’d like to get technical, that _horrific_ jumble of octaves was more along the lines of bothersome noise. _Unnecessary_ noise. To dumb it down for you, it’s considered a _crime_.” 

  

“What?” 

  

“I could have you fined. Hell, I _should_ have youfined! Disturbing the peace of your neighbors isn’t tolerated.” Lucy snapped, leaning up from the speaker. 

  

“Speaking of crimes, having boobs that big should be one.” 

  

With ayelp, Lucy wrapped her robe tightly over her body, concealing every exposed inch of skin. “You _pervert_!” 

  

He hiccuped and chuckled heavily on the other side of the door, to which she groaned, despite her flushed cheeks. 

  

“Laugh while you can, but just know you wouldn’t want to be on my shitlist, _I--”_  

  

The clicking of the door’s locks on the other side stopped her mid-sentence. She straightened her posture and attempted to look as bitchy as she possibly could. She opened her mouth, ready to finish what she had been saying previously, though her eyes caught a bright shade of pink. 

  

The scowl she had been wearing vanished and her eyes widened. Wild salmon spikes were attached to her rival’s head. And while salmon was merely a shade, this particular shade she had only seen once in her 400 years on Earth. 

  

 _Etherious._  

  

“I hear ya’, I promise not to make another sound so long as we’re neighbors, ‘kay?” He babbled, resting his bare, right shoulder against the door frame. 

  

His mouth continued to move, though Lucy couldn’t hear a word he was saying. Her eyes traveled over his bare skin, searching for one thing in particular, a scar. As her eyes reached the lower region of his abdomen, she glanced at his left side where she caught the faint outline of an _x_. Her confirmation. 

  

She ignored the feeling of blood draining from her face, the way her stomach knotted, and most importantly, the way the walls of her ribs curved around her heart. Instead she drew her features up in irritation and hardened her gaze, playing as though nothing was wrong. 

  

She nodded curtly, silencing him, “I suggest you don’t forget that promise.” 

   
   
 

 


End file.
